


Old Story, Retold (With Kisses)

by celestialusts



Category: NCT (Band), NCT Dream
Genre: Also I don't know what this is but here have it, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, For a very stupid reason too (blame Yangyang), Jeno and Jaemin hating each other for ten years, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:20:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29965581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialusts/pseuds/celestialusts
Summary: Jeno and Jaemin hate each other, at least that's what they think.So, what happens when they're both stucktogetherin the elevator of their apartment building and Jaemin desperately needs someone to lean on?
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 10
Kudos: 143





	Old Story, Retold (With Kisses)

**Author's Note:**

> here's a short nomin friends to enemies to lovers oneshot for all of you!
> 
> twitter: [ @celestialusts ](https://twitter.com/celestialusts) | curiouscat: [ @celestialusts ](http://curiouscat.me/celestialusts)

“I _never_ hated you, Jeno.” 

Jaemin sighs softly, as his back is pressed against the metal wall of the elevator where they both sit, engulfed by the lingering air of words unspoken and the desperate, deafening ramming of their hearts against their chests.

Slowly, Jaemin heaves in a long, deep breath, soon finding the comfort he needs when Jeno cautiously, yet gently wraps his larger palm around Jaemin’s shaky hand.

“You _did_. For the longest time, I’ve wondered at what point our friendship crumbled, at what point our friendship was pricked bit by bit until what was left, is nothing but hatred and disappointment. I honestly don’t know why you hate me so much, Jeno. You _were_ the only friend I had back then.”

In the dark of the elevator, Jeno doesn’t miss the trembling in Jaemin’s voice and Jeno feels his heart picking up its pace, soon filled with an immense of guilt and sorry for the boy.

They have been stuck in the elevator when their apartment building’s electricity got cut off, and Jeno and Jaemin find themselves having to be stuck together. But here’s the problem, they both _hate_ each other. Or, at least, that’s what they think. However, when Jeno sees Jaemin hyperventilating, cold sweats dripping down his forehead and almost close to tears, for once, he sees the Jaemin he once knew back in middle school. Jaemin is extremely claustrophobic. Jeno at least knows that much.

Jeno shuts his eyes, tightly, remembering, recollecting the memories he had with the boy. _I never hated you, Jaemin. I loved you._

His heart pauses, and Jeno is grateful that it’s dark enough for Jaemin to not notice how his face falls at his words.

_You didn’t._

After a long, pregnant pause, Jeno looks to his side and sees Jaemin through the dim light of the slight opening of the elevator door, peeking through and still, Jaemin looks just as beautiful.

He always has.

“I…” Jeno starts, licking his lower lip dry. “I never hated you, not a single bit.” Jaemin turns to look over at Jeno, eyebrows knitting together as he stares in utter confusion.

“In fact,” Jeno breathes in, before breathing out a set of words he has never imagined having said to Jaemin. After all, they never treated each other as friends after middle school, and even while living in the same apartment building, their exchanges were always hostile and austere. “I actually _loved_ you for a very, very long time.”

Before Jaemin can align words of his own, Jeno continues. “Do you remember, Jaemin? In middle school, after the new boy, Donghyuck transferred, you… you seemed to have forgotten about me. You hung out more with him than you did with me, you started missing our usual movie nights to be with him, and when you forgot about my piano recital despite knowing how much it meant to me because of _him_ too, rather than mad, I was…”

Jaemin’s cheeks are already wet with tears, then. One, two, three and soon, Jaemin finds himself biting on his lower lip harder than he should, the metallic taste of the blood seeping right through his lips and tainting his tongue and his system with it.

“I was _sad_.” Jeno ends with a tear of his own. Who could have known an accidental elevator trap becomes a chance for two hurting hearts to slowly patch them back together?

“So, slowly… I distanced myself from you.” Jeno lets out a laugh so glum, before he gently brushes his thumb over Jaemin’s skin. “The worst part was, you didn’t even notice it.”

Not being able to handle the heavy guilt in his heart anymore, Jaemin pulls away and turns to the side, hugging his knees to his chest. His crying face is soon buried in between, and Jeno frowns.

“Jaemin…” Jeno softly calls out. Even after ten years, Jeno finds his feelings still gravitated towards Jaemin. It’s like, the law of gravity has made it possible only for Jeno to fall for Jaemin and him alone. He’s never really been able to move on, or more like he _doesn’t_ want to. Despite the occasional glares and hisses they threw at one another upon meeting, Jeno never meant any of it.

“It’s in the past now. I just,” Jeno softens as he reaches out to soothingly rubs Jaemin’s back and the latter instantly melts under his touch from the way his shoulders slump almost immediately. “I just feel like we should clear things up, once and for all.” As much as it hurted, seeing how immensely troubled and sorry Jaemin looks once he has heard Jeno’s pent-up feelings, the ones he has kept so long despite them lacing his heart with thorns of painful remembrance, Jeno smiles.

Detaching Jaemin’s face from being buried, and his arms from being placed on top another, Jeno carefully pulls Jaemin to look at him. His beautiful, starry eyes stare right back at him, albeit a bit puffy from the crying. 

“I… I have _loved_ you, and I still very much do, Jeno.”

Jeno is taken aback. _Were the feelings not one-sided?_

“The reason why I… I became closer to Donghyuck was not because I wanted to cast you away. But because I didn’t want to get hurt. Yangyang came up to me and told me to stay away from you… because you two were dating.” Jeno widens his eyes.

“He said _what_?”

Wiping his tears softly, Jaemin looks up at Jeno in confusion. “Were you not dating him back then? He told me—” Both of them come to realization. “Yangyang _liked_ you. That’s why he did that.”

At that, Jeno lets out a baffled laugh. “We,” He shakes his head in amusement. “We drifted apart for ten years because Yangyang _lied_ to us. That was all it ever was. Good Lord.” Jaemin groans faintly, then soon finds both of Jeno’s hands cupped around his tears-stained cheeks.

Jaemin blinks, and Jeno can’t help the growing smile on his face. Neither any of them can believe that all the hatred, glares, curses for ten long years that were often directed to one another were actually stemmed out from a lie their schoolmate had told back in middle school. Talk about middle school drama.

“So, can I kiss—” _Thud! Thud! Thud!_

Jaemin’s head snaps to the banging sound, not quite catching what Jeno has said. But still, Jaemin turns beet red at the tender touch.

Well, ten years of cussing each other out, and suddenly Jeno holds him _that_ close, is enough to make Jaemin go crazy.

Jeno can’t help but to curse at the timing of the security guards. It takes almost an hour for the security guards to find them, so while they’re being extremely late with the saving, why not just come when they’re done being all mushy and giddy?

“We’ll help you out! Stay still and listen to us carefully!” One of the two security guards say, and soon enough, both Jeno and Jaemin find their way out of the small, suffocating space.

* * *

The apartment building soon lights up as it regains its electricity, and Jaemin and Jeno find the walk back to their respective apartments to be really awkward now that they’re walking side by side and hands brushing against one another so lightly, yet enough to send tingles down their spines.

“Uh,” Jaemin says quietly after clearing his throat in an attempt to break the silence. “Thank you for being there with me earlier, Jeno. Although, it was very much accidental. But I honestly don’t know how I’d be if I were in that elevator alone…” Jeno tilts his head to the side, catching Jaemin’s eyes as the boy too has turned to meet his. Jaemin can only smile, and Jeno does the same.

“Also, what were you saying before the security guards found us?” _Oh shit._ Jeno panics a little, okay, maybe _a lot_.

Rubbing his nape sheepishly, Jeno shakes his head. “I-I forgot!”

Jaemin instinctively reaches out to grab Jeno’s arm with both of his hands, wriggling it as he whines, to which Jeno finds very cute. “Tell me! Tell me!” Jaemin frowns, his lips puckered out into a pout, a habit that Jaemin does when he _really_ wants to know something. Jeno remembers it at the back of his head.

_I might just kiss you if you keep on acting like this, Jaemin._

Jeno doesn’t know whether to curse at how both their apartments are situated at the very end of the hallway or thank the deities for the opportunity because based on his calculations, he might have enough time to—

Jeno leans in for a quick peck on Jaemin’s cheek.

Jaemin immediately halts in his steps, trying to register what the hell just happened. He reaches up to graze over his fingers on the spot where Jeno has left a peck, eyes blinking profusely to Jeno who is now drenched in the shade of pink all over. Jeno, _very_ embarrassed Jeno, turns away at once before speeding up all the way to his apartment.

_Why the fuck did I do that? Lee Jeno, you’re so stupid._

Once Jaemin finally registers what has happened, his lips curve into a big, gleeful grin.

“Yah! Lee Jeno! Wait up for me!” Jaemin yells, giggling as he hurriedly jogs to match Jeno’s pace and Jeno can only grumble, abashed. But when he feels the linking of Jaemin’s hands around his arm, Jeno raises an eyebrow quizzically.

“You should kiss me properly, idiot.” Jaemin smiles, leaning on Jeno’s shoulder as they both walk. Maybe having their apartments at the very end of the world, isn’t so bad. Jeno thinks.

“Now?” Jeno bites back teasingly, holding back a cheeky grin as he sees Jaemin’s flustered expression. “A-Are you stupid? N-Not in the hallway of course!” Jaemin hits Jeno on the chest causing him to groan. “Goodness, your punches still hurt. What are you? A hulk?”

Jaemin shrugs nonchalantly. As soon as they both reach the entrance of Jaemin’s apartment, they both flaunt their own, happy smiles. “I’m glad to have you back in my life, Jeno. In a proper way, of course.” Jaemin adds the second line with a sheepish simper.

Jeno nods in return, and he inches closer to pull Jaemin into a hug.

In Jeno’s arms, Jaemin finds a long, lost home. Jaemin smiles softly against the hug, burying his face on the crook of Jeno’s neck as his arms coil around Jeno’s bigger figure tightly.

Jaemin mumbles almost inaudibly, but Jeno doesn’t miss what the boy is saying as he lets out a small chuckle. “I’m going to miss you.”

“Jaemin, I literally live across your apartment.” Jeno deadpans.

At the comment, Jaemin pulls off with a glare. This time, instead of finding it hateful or irritating, Jeno finds it adorable. “Jeno, we spent the last ten years hating each other and the last three years glaring at each other everytime we cross paths _here_. I think I _can_ miss you.” Jaemin says, in all seriousness, that it makes Jeno laugh.

“Oh God, you really make me feel like kissing you right now.” Jeno mumbles in both annoyance and desperation.

“Then, kiss me,” Jaemin says, a tone so light yet serves as both a command and a challenge to him, how can Jeno possibly say no to _that_? “Kiss me, _Lee Jeno._ ”

Jeno gives up. Hearing Jaemin saying his name, with his stupid, goddamnly hot and deep voice, makes his whole being filled with frizz and tingles, and Jeno doesn’t waste another moment before he pushes his body against Jaemin and pulls him for a deep, longing kiss that has them gasping for air in a matter of a few seconds. Because God, that feels so _right_.

Jaemin swiftly unlocks the door to his apartment before his hand finds its way around Jeno’s neck again, fingers intertwining with his other set of fingers and locking Jeno in his hold while Jeno’s arms are wrapped around Jaemin’s petite, slender waist. Soon enough, they’re both inside the space of Jaemin’s cozy apartment, yet none of it matters anymore, because right now Jaemin has Jeno and Jeno has Jaemin. Just like that, they find the route that leads them home.

They kiss like they have never been kissed, their eyes fluttering close, and Jeno presses his rougher lips against Jaemin’s smoother, plumpier ones, tasting the piquant bits of Jaemin’s cherry-flavoured lips, mixed with his heavier, darker taste of coffee that still lingers. Jeno tastes like the sweetness of caramel, and the faint strawberry tang of his favourite smoothie. Together, their lips reclaim the relish of heaven.

Blurred by the ecstasy of love, the drug that cures no soul that yearns, their lips move and maneuver in accordance to the rhythm akin to the pumping blood in their veins.

They then kiss, once, twice, thrice—soon realizing that they’ll never have _enough._

Of many things. Of the infallible savour of the lips, or the blazing love that has yet to burn the brightest flame, or just the sole presence of one another.

Pulling off, their chests heaving up and down, desperate for oxygen, they both stare at each other. Completely, undoubtedly in love from the way their eyes crinkled in absolute bliss, though no words have been spoken since the intimate exchange, their eyes alone do the speaking. Words of, ‘I love you’, or ‘I need you’, or ‘you’re the only one that I want’, they’re evident, ridiculously evident.

Jeno leans forward to press his forehead against Jaemin’s, and leaves a chaste, loving kiss on the skin of his beloved.

Jaemin’s eyes don’t leave Jeno’s crescented ones as he brings a palm to be placed on Jeno’s right cheek, head tilting slightly to the side as he tenderly grazes his thumb over his cheek.

“You’re so beautiful,” Jaemin breathes out, his voice dripping with love, and everything in between.

Smiling, Jeno places his palm over the back of Jaemin’s palm, holding the hand that he has no plans of letting go anymore, leaning even closer, even deeper to the touch.

“I know I’m ten years late, but,” A happy, cute grin graces Jeno’s handsome face before he continues. “I _love_ you, Na Jaemin.”

A brief pause follows suit, before Jeno finds Jaemin mirroring the grin akin to his, only his is a bit brighter and lovelier—that’s something Jeno has never been able to beat him at. _His smile._

“I _love_ you too, Lee Jeno. Although I’m ten years late, as well.” Jaemin adds, causing both of them to erupt into a fit of giggles and chuckles.

“Now,” Jeno says, in all seriousness. “Let’s find Liu Yangyang.” Jeno ends it with a dissatisfied huff. 

Jaemin can’t help but to laugh, shaking his head, amused. He remembers one more thing about Jeno, and that is: Jeno is the type to hold grudges… for a _very_ long time.

Well, seems like Yangyang is the next target of Jeno’s grudge-holding.

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in 4 hours or so because i refused to sleep early so i don't know what this really is but hey at least i'm Writing [buries head in hands] i'm just very drained from the first week of the new semester and writing this was somehow like a remedy for me... okay that's extremely dramatic from my part BUT i hope you enjoy! <3
> 
> leave kudos and comments! every bit of them matters :] take care and stay safe!


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